Friday, 30 April 2010

Filling In the Blanks: Films!

I am no film fanatic, it has to be said. I love watching films, I love a really good film that makes you laugh or cry or want to change the world, and I am completely and utterly a film snob (I will refuse to watch films purely out of principle, or shuffle and mutter through a film if I don't like it. Bad, I know). However, I'm rubbish at watching things. I hardly watch TV, I've never found a series of any sort that impells me to sit and watch it every week, I don't like the Simpsons or Lost or any of the other TV shows that everyone else in the world likes. I don't doubt that they're good; I just can't sit and watch something very often. My parents didn't let me watch TV as a child, so I think my attention has simply never been trained to look at moving pictures for half an hour; it gets distracted or impatient, and I can't stand looking at strong colours or sharp edges (Spongebob is my worst nightmare!). I think Daniel was a bit upset when I made him turn off The Office after 10 minutes.

'That's why The Office is better than all of the other stuff on TV. You need to invest time in it.''I don't want to invest in it. I'd rather read my book'

(and so the argument continued for a while, until he gave in and we didn't switch it back on)

So I'm going to think hard about my answers, because there are definitely some films that have made a massive impact on me in many ways. Let's see.

1. My absolute favorite movie of all time is Amelie. I have watched it numerous times now, I love it I love it I love it. And I love her. And I believe that, though it's not essentially a love story, it's the most romantic film I've ever seen. My favourite film scene ever the scene where she daydreams of making a plum cake for Nino; who hasn't dreamt such simple romantic daydreams? Perfect.

2. My favorite movie as a child wasI never really watched films as a child, I was more of a bookworm. The only films my parents bought me were the Raymond Briggs animations - The Snowman, which I watched everyday until the tape broke, Father Christmas, which I still watch every year on Christmas Eve, and Grandpa. They are such beautiful films, and I know that my parents let me watch these (as oppose to Disney films or anything else at all!) because of the soft colours and the imagination that they allowed. It seems so strict and old-fashioned in some ways, but I think that not being allowed to watch TV as a child is one of the best choices my parents ever made!

3. The best movie quote ever is "At least you'll never be a vegetable; even artichokes have hearts" from Amelie (of course!).

4. My favorite actress is I can't say Audrey Tautou here, can I? Scarlett Johansson, as she seems to be smart, quirky and she is one of the most beautiful women in the film industry, in my opinion. AlsoMy favorite actor is possibly John Cusack, but really it's the films they're in that count - a good actor needs a good film in which to act! (A Single Man was a good example of this - a fantastic film that actually allowed Colin Firth (who I LOVE and was a contender for my favourite actor) to be something deeper than a charming Englishman - I really hope to see more real acting from him!)

5. The movie I could watch over and over is Amelie or How To Marry A Millionaire. They are the only two films that I've watched a few times, and I still love them. My Mum bought me How To Marry A Millionaire when I was struggling with everything a few years ago, and I associate it so strongly with her that I could never fail to feel better after watching it.

6. My favorite movie genre is independant film, if that can ever be classed as a genre! If it's foreign, I'll probably like it. Though the only film I've ever switched off because I hated it that much was a French film (I forget what it was, but it had won a few prized at Cannes). .

7. A movie I'd like to watch this weekend is Lost In Translation, for some reason. Maybe because I had to Google Scarlett Johannson to get the spelling of her name, and some photos came up, haha. I also love Bill Murray..

On a different note...

Daniel got me a rather exciting treat to help me through my essay struggle...

Fair Trade, organic Austrian chocolate from Zotter! This can be bought from my favourite local health food shop, and I've admired the varieties many a time - from red wine chocolate to olive chocolate! This one was strawberry, and it was divine! As soon as I saw the pink shell poking through the wrapper I knew it'd be a real treat!

Along with wine, olives, bread, tea and coffee; chocolate is one of the products where it pays to be picky. I'd rather have really good chocolate every now and then than average chocolate regularly. This is my outlook on a lot of things - I never buy something just because it's cheap; I'd rather spend £20 on a really nice, fair trade t-shirt than £5 from a certain (mentioning no names...) retail outlet that will go saggy after one outing. But that's another issue! Back to the point - amazing chocolate rules O.K.!